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| Volunteers enjoying a welcome break. |
We held a very successful work party last Saturday morning with 11 volunteers in total. The weather was also rather more kind to us than on the previous occasion.
Whilst working I noted a Small Tortoiseshell @ SC210694, a Meadow Brown @ SC209693, a 10-spot Ladybird @ SC209694 and the Sedge Warbler @ SC209694 sang to us all morning. The Peacock family seemed unconcerned by our presence. I missed a good photo when the paler youngster ( the male) was riding on its mother's back. The second peahen is last year's baby which was brooded by the white hen when its mother showed little interest. This explains why the white hen and the peahen are often together in the reserve - the peahen thinks the white hen is its mother!
The main purpose of the Work Party was to fill the plastic grids with pea gravel to make them safe before our dusk Bat Walk/Moth Trapping event tonight ( 22nd). We also removed overhanging brambles and other vegetation which might have proved hazardous in the dark. Those barrowing the gravel were very quick off the mark, so no photos of the work in progress, I'm afraid. Corporate MWT member, Corletts, kindly supplied & delivered the gravel free of charge and the yellow bag came in most useful afterwards for shifting the cut vegetation!
We took out a few docks from the side of the paths to prevent them seeding further - there are plenty left as bird seed for the winter!
